DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 180oC and line a cupcake tray with liners. Sift together the flour and soda into a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer add the sugar, oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. Beat on high for two minutes. The mixture should turn pale and creamy. Add one third of the flour and beat to incorporate. Add half the buttermilk and incorporate. Add half the remaining flour, beat, rest of the buttermilk, beat and finish with the remaining flour and beat until just combined. Add the red food colouring and mix thoroughly.

Spoon the batter into cupcake cases, two thirds full. Pop into the oven for 12 to 15 minutes and they will begin to darken slightly on top. Test with a toothpick, which should come out clean from the centre, when they are fully baked. Allow to cool thoroughly.

To make the frosting, place all of the ingredients, except the extract, in a large bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water and with an electric mixer, beat for 5 minutes. The frosting will become thick and voluminous. Remove from the saucepan and add the vanilla extract. Beat for another couple of minutes.

When ready to decorate and with your prepared marshmallow fluffy frosting, pipe on top. Then dunk the top of each into desiccated coconut to cover fully.

Your cupcakes are ready to enjoy. The taste of these cocoa free cupcakes are difficult to describe, other than they are very ‘cakey’ tasting, in the best possible way. They are moist and very vanilla which is never a bad thing. The soft snowball top is a perfect compliment.

RECIPE BACKSTORY

I have made this snowball cupcakes recipe for the past few years at Christmas, before red velvet cake was even a ‘thing’ here in the UK. This particular recipe which I found on the Martha Stewart website doesn't contain cocoa and for years I never realised that regular red velvet cakes contain cocoa powder. When I did try one with – only last year - I actually didn't like it as much and I will remain cocoa free red velvet.